Drew Barrymore is bringing her TV talk show back to the small screen without writers amid the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
The US entertainment industry has been brought to a halt due to industrial action by the Writers Guild of America and the SAG-AFTRA actors union over issues including pay and conditions and it’s forced many movies and TV series to halt production with the majority of America’s talk shows being shelved while the strike is ongoing.
‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ has been off-air since April due to a break in schedule but the ‘ET’ star has now revealed she’s bringing it back to TV just weeks after she stepped down as host of the MTV Movie and TV Awards to show her support for the strike.
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: “I made a choice to walk away from the MTV, film and television awards because I was the host and it had a direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with which was studios, streamers, film, and television.
“It was also in the first week of the strike and so I did what I thought was the appropriate thing at the time to stand in solidarity with the writers.
“And to be clear, our talk show actually wrapped on 20 April so we never had to shut down the show. However, I am also making the choice to come back for the first time in this strike for our show, that may have my name on it but this is bigger than just me.”
Drew went on to insist the show will comply with strike guidelines, adding: “I own this choice. We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind.
“We launched live in a global pandemic. Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time. I want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience.
“I hope for a resolve for everyone as soon as possible. We have navigated difficult times since we first came on air. And so I take a step forward to start season 4 once again with an astute humility.”
A representative for the WGA has since told The Hollywood Reporter the union will picket the show’s studio in New York City from September 11. They said: “The Drew Barrymore Show is a WGA-covered, struck show. It has stayed off the air since the strike began on 2 May, but has now (unfortunately) decided to return without its writers. The Guild has, and will continue to, picket any struck show that continues production for the duration of the strike.”